Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) officers and firefighters who put in exemplary efforts in the relief efforts from the beginning of the chemical warehouse explosion on Friday, are praise-worthy, says Chief of Defense Force, Major General Abdulla Shamaal.
Expressing his pride in the officers’ swift action, Major General Shamaal revealed that they had received the report of the fire at around 7:26pm on Friday and that they had dispatched their first fire truck to the site within six minutes.
Highlighting the generous support and assistance extended by a lot of people during the time of national crisis, Shamaal expressed gratitude towards the generosity extended by the people.
Shamaal stated that the efforts put in by officers deserve praise and that firefighters showed the best example of bravery and courage by fearlessly facing the toxic fumes and rescuing those in need from burning buildings.
“This proves that officers will put their lives at stake when it is called for and will not back down in the face of danger. We received a lot of support from retired officers throughout this incident as well”Chief of Defense Force, Major General Abdulla Shamaal
Currently, military engineers are carrying out assessments for damaged buildings that need to be demolished with the collaborative efforts from other national agencies.
MNDF is working to bring the situation to normalcy, as soon as possible, revealed Shamaal.
Earlier this week, Maldives Police Service (MPS) launched investigations to determine the cause of the chemical warehouse fire on Friday.
The fire broke out after an explosion inside a chemical warehouse in Henveiru-ward of capital city Malé on Friday, and it took down four warehouses and six houses in its wake. The toxic fumes injured over 200 individuals and 400 people had lost their homes, with one trapped inside her apartment having burned alive.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has provided temporary shelter for all those affected, including locals and expatriates and assured the public that they are being taken care of, until a solution is reached. Some of those have since been returned to the houses that are safe to live in.
Following a direct order from President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to relocate chemical warehouses away from residential areas, Thilafushi island has been allocated for chemical storage.
Minister of Defense Mariya Didi earlier revealed that 82 of the 126 warehouses in the capital city store hazardous chemicals and that 96 warehouses are right next to residential buildings.
